The Best and Only Way To Build Golem Tribal (Sultai Midrange Combo) (EDH / Commander)

Ya'll don't know how long I've been waiting for this!

https://deckstats.net/decks/153808/1611739-masterless-golems
https://deckstats.net/decks/153808/1741910-golos-generates-generous-group

Commander Legends delivered. It brought support to several neglected tribes and strategies.We have brand new powerful golems such as Armix, Filigree Thrasher, Maelstrom Colossus, and Phyrexian Triniform. Much needed reprints of partners and our titular commander Ich-Tekik, Salvage Splicer.

Ich-Tekik is a perfect design. He manages to tie together several past golem mechanics in one card. He's like a phyrexian splicer coming in with a 3/3 Golem. He uses counters like past modular golems, and makes golems that sacrifice themselves better.
I just love the flavor too, whenever an artifact breaks down Ich-Tekik strips it for parts and upgrades himself and Golem friends with it.

The second Ich-Tekik, Salvage Splicer was leaked over Ebay I started brewing. It was honestly a challenge, he is very open ended.

I started with Bant, partnering with Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker. The synergy seemed great at first, white granted acesss to the plentiful white splicers, I had Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle as a value engine/ combo finisher, and the infamous Smothering Tithe does double duty ramping and pumping our team with our commander.
Going into this I thought there would be more ways to turn counters into value to properly utilize both commanders. As I looked a little deeper there was only a few cards that turn counters into draw or other value.
Most counter synergies turn counters into more counters or tokens. This is a bit far removed from golem tribal, and counters actively don't synergize with Ich-Tekik's death triggers. Not to mention Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker has no direct synergy with the rest of the deck.

I believe where I ended up is the best way to utilize Ich-Tekik as a commander, but there is several strategies that he could support. I thought over blink, populate, proliferate, fling, clone, voltron, charge counters, and spell slinger ( I still love you Precursor Golem), but found that an artifact aristocrat strategy was the most powerful route.

Ich-Tekik, Salvage Splicer is a value engine commander. Our best bet to win games is out valuing our opponents. Our deck needs 4 things.

Golems to receive value in 1/1 counters

To send artifacts to the graveyard from the battlefield to generate value

Ways utilize that value on the board and graveyard

Lastly other forms of utility to ensure the deck runs smoothly

Almost every card in the deck accomplishes 2 of our goals, several accomplish 3.

For example we have Arcbound Reclaimer.
It is a Golem that can receive counters from our commander
When it dies with modular we put it's counters on a different golem and it triggers our commander
It can bring back artifacts from the counters it receives
This guy straight up goes infinite pumping our team with infinite counters

Arcbound Reclaimer+ Ich-Tekik, Salvage Splicer + Mishra's Bauble/ Welding Jar + Mystic Forge

We sacrifice our 0 cost artifact with its own ability. Ich-Tekik triggers putting a 1/1 counter on each golem and himself. Take a 1/1 counter off of Arcbound Reclaimer to put the 0 cost artifact on the top of our library from our graveyard . We can look at and cast our 0 cost artifact with Mystic Forge. Repeat for infinite counters on Ich-Tehik and other Golems.

With Disciple of the vault out it can drain our opponents for infinite.
If it's bauble we can draw our whole deck next turn too!

Our partner for Ich-Tekik is Silas Renn, Seeker Adept which has the best synergy over every other partner. When it dies it triggers Ich-Tekik, and it helps recur artifacts that we will be consistently sacrificing.

The game plan is to establish a board presence, build and protect that board presence, then overwhelm our opponents through value or one of our many combos.

We have several 1 and 0 cost artifacts to start the early game most of which have built in sacrifice for utility and value when needed, these are also super cheap to recur and get more triggers.

Every Golem in this deck does at least triple duty. Each golem has a useful ability that vary from removal with Lightning-Core Excavator or Meteor Golem to cost reduction with Mycosynth Golem or Geode Golem. These golems accrue 1/1 counters with Ich-Tehik, and make more counters when they die.

Midgame we are playing our commander, playing engines like Kuldotha Forgemaster, Tamiyo's Journal, Pitiless Plunderer, and others that provide their own crucial effects while pumping our team. Treasure and clues get added to the scrap heap too! We also have a handful of options to tutor and cheat out huge golems and/or combo pieces.

We close games with huge golem finishers, infinite combos or just accruing value uninterrupted.

Here are the rest of our combos!

Karn, Silver Golem+ any artifact land or Mana Crypt + Salvaging Station +Ich-Tekik, Salvage Splicer or Disciple of the Vault or Pitiless Plunderer

Tap the artifact land or Crypt for mana and pay into Karn to turn the land into an artifact creature. It dies immediately due to being a 0/0. Ich-Tekik Triggers. Salvaging Station, if tapped, untaps. Use Salvaging Station to bring the land or crypt back. Repeat for infinite death triggers and counters.

With Crypt we also get infinite colorless mana, with our commander we get infinitely sized golems and commander, or Disciple can drain our opponents for the win, and Pitiless plunderer gives us infinite mana

Karn, Silver Golem + Thran Dynamo or Chromatic Orrery or Gilded Lotus + Voltaic Construct

Tap our mana rock and use 1 for Karn's ability to target our mana rock. Pay 2 into Voltaic Construct to untap our mana rock creature. Tap the mana rock for mana and pay 2 into Voltaic Construct to untap. Tap and untap the rock this way for infinite mana

Orrery can draw us infinite cards this way too!
Golem Artisan is our best mana sink.

Animation Module + Ich-Tekik, Salvage Splicer + Ashnod's Altar or Krark-Clan Ironworks

Sacrifice an artifact or artifact creature for 2 mana. Ich-Tehik Triggers. Pay 1 into Animation Module to create a 1/1 Servo artifact creature. Sacrifice the servo. Repeat for infinite counters on our team and infinite mana.

Disciple of the Vault Turns this into infinite damage once again.

This is a deck that commits a lot to the board and needs our commander alive. We are running Golgari Charm, Inspiring Call, and Counterspell to dodge bordwipes. Padeem, Consul of Innovation, Reyhan, Last of the Abzan, and The Ozolith are static insurance policies.

My favorite part about this deck is on surface level; it looks like artifact aristocrats, nothing more. The combo pieces still function and generate value without being in a combo. People wont expect you to combo off, which is exactly how you can slip one under the radar.

The deck took quite a lot of thought and tinkering, I'll still make edits as time goes on. Looking back i've grown so much as a player since I've set out to build golem tribal. While i've come to enjoy a wide variety of playstyles and archetypes. This deck does the same thing I've always wanted in a deck.

Ich-Tekik took a look at a janky, inconsistent, pile of scrap of a tribe and made something his own out of it. Made a place where each piece of junk belongs and brings strength to a singular goal.

To beat his opponents to death with an army of giant golems.